Standards for protection of train crew from debris

The Rail Industry Safety and Standards Board advised that the relevant standards (AS7522 – Access & Egress and AS7520.1 – Body Structural Requirements – Locomotive) are already included within our 2024/25 Work Plan, and are scheduled to commence next month. Depending upon the complexity and the interest and responses from the Public Consultation process, we expect the reviews to be completed by early 2025.

Action satisfactory and continue to monitor progress.

The Rail Industry Safety and Standards Board advised that the review of the relevant standards (AS7522 – Access & Egress and AS7520.1 – Body Structural Requirements – Locomotive) has commenced and the scope of change includes findings from the said ATSB report. The project is progressing well, once the drafting is completed, the product will be made available for public consultation. 

Action satisfactory and continue to monitor progress.

Based on this investigation, the following standard was selected and included in the work plan for review.

• AS 7520.1 Body Structural Requirements – Locomotive

The updates focused on influencing future designs of primarily locomotives and passenger rolling stock by:

• Specifically detailing requirements for rolling stock that is subjected to a rollover event.
• Improving the survivability of train crew and passengers during and post an incident.

The updated standards were published in June 2025. https://www.rissb.com.au/products/as-7520-1-rolling-stock-body-structural-requirements-part-1-locomotive/

The key changes made to AS 7520.1 include the following:

• Updated crashworthiness section to add requirements for rollover events and collisions
• Amended reference standard for penetration resistance to align with current industry practice
• Strengthened requirements for cab-mounted doors to minimise debris ingress during rollover events
• Added requirements for windscreens to remain attached during emergency incidents
• Added requirements for all glazing to meet standards for aerodynamic loads, pressure pulse tests, and passenger containment tests

The Rail Industry Safety and Standards Board (RISSB) has amended the appropriate standard to address scenarios similar to this accident and have included appropriate mitigation requirements for the protection of train crew in the case of vehicle overturn. This safety issue is therefore assessed as adequately addressed.